Photovoltaic cells (solar cells) have been used for many years to generate electrical energy from sunlight. Solar panels, which typically include many individual cells, have been deployed in space and terrestrial applications. Terrestrial photovoltaic cells are quickly becoming a viable product and, therefore, techniques, equipment, and technologies related to the testing of terrestrial cells in a quick and economical manner are needed.
Terrestrial photovoltaic cells may be exposed to “multiple” sun sources using mirrors, reflectors, and/or lenses that concentrate sunlight into a smaller area, which results in higher radiation energy per square unit of area. Such concentration is desirable to generate higher current per cell. Accordingly, test equipment and technologies for terrestrial photovoltaic cells are often designed to test cells using light that emulates the solar energy equivalent to 500-5000 individual suns. This high level of solar energy may be necessary to accurately characterize the performance of the cells in the intended application. Moreover, such test equipment should be designed to uniformly illuminate a relatively large area that accommodates the simultaneous testing of multiple cells.
Unlike photovoltaic cells designed for outer space applications, terrestrial photovoltaic cells can be exposed to sunlight that is “filtered” through different atmospheric and/or environmental conditions. Moreover, the altitude at which the cells will be deployed can influence the spectral (wavelength) characteristics of sunlight. For example, the spectral characteristics of sunlight that reaches cells located in Sao Paolo, Brazil are different than the spectral characteristics of sunlight that reaches cells located in Phoenix, Ariz. Consequently, a solar simulator for testing photovoltaic cells should be configured to provide accurate spectral adjustability to simulate different types of sunlight conditions.